Nie jestem do końca przekonany czy ktoś pamięta jeszcze rzeczy tego pokroju, niemniej jednak mnie samemu przy całym tym poszukiwaniu muzyki w internecie udało się na takowe dzieła natrafić i z miłym westchnieniem spędziłem przy nich kilka chwil aby powspominać stare dobre czasy, kiedy muzyka była prosta a brzmienia zabrudzone, liczył się przekaz i nikt o nic się nie przyczepiał.
Stereo Total – Holiday Innn – pierwsza z zabrudzonych propozycji, cóż tu więcej mówić, klasyczne stare dobre wokale na starych dobrych electro brejkach, nic dodać nic ująć, a już zdecydowanie lepiej jest posłuchać.

Drugą z moich propozycji westchnień jest dobrze nam zapewne znany The Knife z kawałkiem Bird. O tak, ten bass z pewnością długo nikomu nie pozwoli zapomnieć o klimacie tego kawałka. Nie dodaje nic więcej i zapraszam do słuchania.

Netlabel:  Moment Sound
Genre: trip-hop, downtempo, synth-pop, breaks

Go to the release DOWNLOAD1 DOWNLOAD2

done

In this episode, we get tropical with Vancouver synth-pop duo Fine Mist. Topics include: How they write their wonderfully melodramatic songs, cinematic alter egos, a forthcoming debut LP and the power of embarrassing relationships. Watch for a pretty decent Killers impression, and if Fine Mist ever tours with Timbaland, you heard it here first.

You can download their song “I Wanna DJ for Christmas” from the Mental Beast Eggnog Experience, a double album of holiday songs by Vancouver indie bands. Save the Bloedel Conservatory!

So now Trike is in two different parts of the globe. Xania made a video about the gargantuanness of all things American. Take a look:

(I found an excellent article about Nicole’s botched makeup job and how YOU can prevent such disasters in the future)

Just one more reason you should make sure you always have some decent lighting when you put on your makeup (or, in Nicole’s case, when your makeup artists put on your makeup).

Nicole Kidman showed up to the New York premiere of Nine in NYC looking like she just lifted her face from a bag of flour.

The hotly anticipated film also stars Kate Hudson, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard and Fergie. Thankfully, none of the other cast members were sporting the ‘powder face’ look.

It’s hard to notice how stunning Nicole’s hair and outfit are when that white powdery finish steals the spotlight.

For anyone suffering from similar beauty woes, here are some helpful tips for avoiding a makeup disaster:

1) Blend, blend, blend: Always make sure all the products on your face are evenly blended so there are no lines and no obvious makeup residue

2) Buy a good quality brush that is large and soft to help evenly spread your makeup

3) Use powder to set your makeup – it should go on with a sheer finish and be practically invisible

Remember, the number one trick with makeup is to make it look like you aren’t wearing any!

What do you think of Nicole’s beauty fumble? What’s your worst makeup disaster story?

- Vanessa

In my opinion, if Nicole just did the Third Eye Rock Lock, everything would have been okay. Nobody would have noticed the flour/ cocaine/ whateverthehellthatwhiteshitis:

Electrical Language podcast UK feature show on Pixieguts including interview and program of music with her vocals by Max Waves, PIXSID, Cwtch, Northcape, Little Red Cottage and Baxandall IP.

LISTEN/DOWNLOAD SHOW

Gabor Kovacs, the show’s host, writes on the Electrical Language website:

“This morning I had a really enjoyable conversation with Marie Craven, the cybervocalist Pixieguts from Queensland’s Gold Coast, Australia. As Pixieguts, Marie collaborates with musicians from around the world to produce great music. In this podcast you will hear 6 excellent songs interspersed with our conversation.”

The songs:

Max Waves – Reflections (feat. Pixieguts)
PIXSID – The Sea
Cwtch – Something
Northcape – Star (feat. Pixieguts)
Little Red Cottage – I Go Easy feat. Pixieguts (Cottage Mix)
Baxandall IP & Pixieguts – Shiva Star

Try: Mediafire

Site

Buy for $8

Preview

The final album from the late Logan Whitehurst. After suffering from brain cancer for three years and leaving his indie-rock band “The Velvet Teen”, Logan returned to his nerd-rock project “The Junior Science Club”. Very Tiny Songs was his returning album that he worked on for a few months. I’ll let you read Logan’s description of the album:

“Q: What is the Very Tiny Songs Project?

A: The Very Tiny Songs Project is just what it seems. During this project, I produced very tiny songs based on suggestions to me that I received via enail, telephony, private conversation, telegraphy, or other communication over the week from May 28th to June 06th, 2006. The songs are posted on this page in the order in which they were produced. That order is based on the order in which the suggestions were received.

Q: Are these songs any good?

A: You be the judge of that. I did these all spontaneously, quickly, crappily, and cheaply. First takes, mistakes, bad notes, and poor musicianship were all allowed. These are song ideas–sketches. Had to get my practice in.” -Read more reasons.

Unfortunately, this would be Logan’s last work. Doctors found cancer in Logan’s brain again yet again in the later half of summer ‘06. This time doctors informed him that he would not make it, and he only had a few months left. Logan had finished all of the songs before the cancer was found again, but he had not finished the artwork-which is a huge reason to buy the album, by the way. Every single song has a very tiny drawing that comes in a booklet with lyrics and who suggested the song over each drawing (Notable suggestors: Dr. Demento, Neil Cicireiga). Logan did a good majority of these illustrations while fading away in the hospital. He passed away on December 3, 2006, a sad day for multiple bands and countless fans.

As for the music, if you like up-beat synth-pop-y albums you’ll like this. If you like fun, good-natured albums that make you smile or laugh you’ll love this. Like he said, most of these songs are sketches, but most (read: all) sound much better than some well-produced bands. I love this album so much; it’s made with pure creativity, love, and heart in mind. I hope Logan brings as much joy to you with this recording as he has to me and my friends. I know this isn’t a Christmas album, but I feel like this is a good enough gift. Download it, buy it, love it.

30 years ago Page was launched as probably the first real synthpop act in Sweden and was very successful during a couple of years in the early 80’s, I remeber myself seeing them live in Malmö , sneaking in as being under age at that time

Well now they are back and plans for a new album is all set and I expect to see them live during festivals next year. To read more go here (sorry it is in Swedish) >>

This is a clip from back in 1995:

and another one:

A music video and song about the ridiculousness of Xmas complete with fight club-style violence and serious booty:

Jenny Wilson’s music has become a bit of an obsession of mine recently. This is such a great debut release, which she somehow managed to top with the release of Hardships!, which I have already posted on this blog. Jenny Wilson seems to have the knack for producing fantastic pop songs that are not only catchy, but stylish.

www.myspace.com/goldmedalrecordings

If you like then I recommend you have a listen to Hardships! Just follow the link: Jenny Wilson – Hardships!

Some bands, when you first encounter them, might seem a bit quirky, but they don’t strike you as especially weird. Then you find out they’ve been at this for 40 years–and during that time, they’ve gone from everything to glam-rock to disco to New Wave to chamber-pop to (no joke) Swedish radio musicals. Oh, and one of the guys favors creepy Hitler/John Waters mustaches.

Sparks was started in 1968–1968!–by a pair of brothers from L.A. named Ron and Russell Mael. Originally calling themselves Halfnelson, they signed to Todd Rundgren’s Bearsville record label, changed their name to Sparks, and put out a couple of albums of eccentric but unremarkable, Pink Floyd-influenced psychedelic rock. Their first big break came after they parted ways with Bearsville, relocated to London, and got involved in the glam-rock scene. Their two 1974 albums, Kimono My House and Propaganda, were big hits in the U.K., even landing the band on Top of the Pops. Their music from this era was sort of a weird mix of Roxy Music, T. Rex and bubblegum pop, and seemed to anticipate the rise of New Wave.

By the time the rest of the rock world had caught up to Sparks, the Mael brothers had moved on, teaming up with disco/electronica pioneer Giorgio Moroder for their synth-heavy 1979 album, No. 1 in Heaven. The band continued to explore various synth-pop and New Wave styles for the next decade, scoring their first U.S. hit in 1983 with “Cool Places,” a song they recorded with one of their biggest American fans, Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s.

After a late ’80s/early ’90s hiatus, the band resurfaced in 1994 with Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins. Although not a commercial success–except, for some reason, in Germany–it was one of the most well-reviewed albums of Sparks’ career and was instrumental in establishing the Mael brothers as icons of campy, outsidery pop music. Ron, the principal lyricist, was writing increasingly eccentric and sometimes flat-out goofy songs like “(When I Kiss You) I Hear Charlie Parker Playing” and “Now That I Own the BBC”–both of which kind of sound like send-ups of the Pet Shop Boys, except that the Pet Shop Boys actually stole most of their ideas from Sparks in the first place.

Since then, Sparks have released an album of alternate versions of their own songs (called, appropriately, Plagiarism, and featuring cameos from Mike Patton, Erasure and Jimmy Sommerville), an experimental symphonic album called Lil’ Beethoven, a satirical concept album about modern romance called Hello Young Lovers, and this year, a radio musical commissioned by Swedish National Radio called The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman. Clearly, these guys will try pretty much anything. In 2008, they even performed all 21 of their albums on consecutive nights in London (Ingmar Bergman was album #22).

Taken individually, any one Sparks song–or even any single album–isn’t that weird. With this band, it’s more of a cumulative effect thing. Still, much of the material on 2006’s outstanding Hello Young Lovers stands as some of the weirdest stuff they’ve ever recorded–and how many bands can claim to be out-weirding themselves 38 years into their career? To quote the song featured in the video below, “Screw the past!”

Links:

• Sparks official site (site was down last we checked, but trust is, this is the right link)
• Sparks on MySpace
• Martin Truksa’s Sparks fan site

Au Revoir Simone — Still Night, Still Night (MoshiMoshi, 2009)

‘Shadows’

If you gave Brooklyn synth-pop trio, Au Revior Simone, a stone, they would no-doubt draw a blood-bank’s-worth of type-O-negative, such is the emotion they achieve with such limited raw materials.

Their third release, Still Night, Still Night, uses Casio bleeps, unadorned drum machines, and innocent harmonies. Yet Erika Forster, Annie Hart and Heather D’Angelo achieve a sum far greater than these parts — largely due to an abundance of twee charm and their knack of writing great pop.

Comparisons will inevitably be made with other female-fronted acts such as Pretty Girls Make Graves. Indeed, when the trio first harmonise over “I’m moving on/I hope your coming with me” in Shadows, there’s an eerie resemblance to Brooklyn forbear, Rainer Maria vocalist, Caithlin De Marrais.

The band have also been compared to the sisters from the Virgin Suicides, and it is this quirky mystique — perfectly articulated in Sofia Coppola’s film — mixed with analogue tones and drum hits which works so well.

Although the first song, Another Likely Story, somehow tries too hard with its four-to-the-floor kick drum, Shadows provides the first real moment of melodic beauty and is the standout track.  From here on in, we are treated to a subdued and enchanting journey of nostalgic beats — the kind a cool librarian might make in her spare time.

From the beautifully-simple Take Me as I Am, to the album’s dénouement, Tell Me — a wonderful transition from romantic, electric piano to 1950s surf, there is rarely any waffle.

In year when — with varying degrees of patronisation — women have been lauded for their success in mainstream music, it’s sad the examples thrust forth into the trance-like gaze of the general consumer (Little Boots, La Roux La Roux and Florence and the PR Machine etc) have been so eager to please.

This current class is — with the exception of the wonderful Bat For Lashes — doing a disservice to Au Revoir Simone.

iPod shuffle winner when:
Your lying in a field, your authentic (read Urban Outfitters) flannel shirt entangled with your loved one’s, while you plot to run away in your dad’s car.

iPod shuffle sinner when:
You’re just really not in the bloody mood for three impossibly-cool indie girls from Brookyln (who isn’t from there these days?) displaying this kind of effortless, not-arsed panache. Okay?

Mmmm tasty.  So sweet and juicy…Oh God it’s rolling down my chin. You know what, I don’t even care just let it roll right down to the collar. That’s right, little nectary juice drip just perch right there. Get comfortable that’s a poly/cotton blend no big deal. Breathes and won’t pill.

Do I dare take another bite? Will my frail constitution handle the sheer ecstasy? I don’t know…who cares.

Dig in girl. No nibbling you swallow that whole thing. That’s right take it in. Yeah, you like that. You definitely like it. Oooo that tickles stop that! You know papi’s sensitive. Just work the tip baby. That’s right. Just the tip.

Click here to download the Shout Remixes

Синти попът има почитатели в България, макар да е малко поумрял като стил – при това още преди 20 години. Лоу обаче са практически напълно неизвестна по нашите ширини група.

Добавете към това нещастното съвпадение на софийския им концерт с мага-бенефиса за четвъртвековния юбилей на Милена (засмукал всеки уважаващ себе си и музиката истински фен), с партито “Болкън сайънтист”, събрало горе-долу останалите групи и музиканти в България, неучастващи в концерта на Милена, както и неприятния дъжд в събота вечер и имате всички основания да не очаквате много хора на шоуто на Лоу.

Така и стана. Едва около 50 човека бяха дошли да видят шведите в София Лайв Клуб…

Шоуто започна около полунощ с плейбек интро – „Одата на радостта” на Бетховен, изсвирена на умопомрачително вехт 8-битов синт, но за сметка на това със сила, която с лекота може и от вас да направи Бетховен (не толкова гениален, но за сметка на това толкова глух). След което приятен глас заяви „гаварит и паказивает Масква!” и … шведите излязоха на сцената под одобрителните ръкопляскания на присъстващите.

На живо Лоу се появиха в състав от трима – китара, клавири и вокал, явно използвайки заместник на изпадналия някъде по пътя през годините трети член на групата Мехди Багерзадех. Видът им беше точно какъвто бихте очаквали – откровено хомоеротичен, даже малко наци. Новият клавирист беше пълен клонинг на Мартин Гор отпреди 25 години, включително носеше същата шапка…

Шведската тройка започна шоуто направо с хитовете си, продължи с по-добрите песни от двата си албума и завърши отново с хитове участието си, продължило малко по-малко от час. Музиката на Лоу е приятна, мелодична, изцяло танцова, присъствието им на живо е много силно. Откровено казано, изненадващо добре се справи вокалистът Лио Йозефсон, който иначе има леки интонационни проблеми на живо

Повече или по-малко всяка синти поп група, оцеляла до днес, прилича на лошо копие на Депеш Мод. Това важи и за Лоу, макар те да напомнят и на една друга сходна група от този жанр – Меш. Меш обаче са една идея по-рок, докато Лоу са чист осемдесетарски синти поп. Ама направо по-малки братчета на Депеш Мод! Ако това не ви дразни, е забавно да отбелязваш: този рефрен е взет от Black Celebration, този ритъм е от Enjoy The Silence, този звук на синтезатора е от Strange Love…

Не вярвам присъстващите да бяха фенове на Лоу, но определено бяха фенове на този звук и дошли да чуят точно тази музика. Малка групичка скочи да танцува още от първото парче и не седна до края. Към средата като тях бяха вече 90% от присъстващите.

Топлият прием поотпусна малко шведите, особено след като видяха, че дори и новата им песен „Mirage” – от предстоящ албум – бе приета на ура и изпроводена с бурно одобрение и аплодисменти от публиката. Лио Йозефсон даже почна да се усмихва, а по някое време промърмори и нещо в смисъл: „Снощи бяхме в Букурещ, там имаше повече хора, но вие сте по-готини от тях!”.

За съжаление, концертът приключи без бис и без кавъри на Депеш – Лоу вече не свирят такива на живо. Публиката обаче видимо остана адски доволна и получи точно това, за което бе дошла. Жалко, много жалко, че бе токова малобройна.

Накрая искам да отбележа още нещо. София Лайв Клуб е място, където връзката между музиканти и публика е много близка, абсолютно непосредствена и явно това предразполага там всеки път да се получава страхотен купон, независимо колко много или малко хора има. Място, предлагащо наистина уникално преживяване, каквото не съм виждал в друг лайв клуб!

Самото помещение обаче явно е кошмар от акустична гледна точка и поради това апаратурата е много взискателна – ако не й подадеш качествен звук, омазва всичко, особено в средните честоти. По средата на снощния концерт бях изумен колко мощен, чист и качествен звук и с каква динамика и сила може да извади това озвучаване. Но една идея по-силно от необходимото – и всичко изчезва. На първата песен на Лоу – група, на която цялата й бленда е в средните честоти – не можеше да се разбере това микрофония ли е, групата ли свири или вокалистът пее, а звукът беше като на дет метъл фестивал… В резултат част от и без това малобройните тази вечер посетители на иначе шикозното заведение моментално се изнесоха, а аз и още двама-трима потърсихме миша дупка, в която да се заврем, за да не оглушеем в следващите няколко минути. Приятелска препоръка към клуба: съчувствам на озвучителя ви, но бъдете безкомпромисни към него или си намерете по-компетентен!

V/A – Latinmecanica V.1
(industrial-ebm-synthpop-powernoise latin american compilation)

http://bpmfront.blogspot.com/2009/11/va-latinmecanica-v1.html

1. Avatar – Nada sin Ti (Radio Edit) (3:27)
2. Black Hole Nine – Something I Want to Show You (3:48 )
3. Cadaver P.R.A.N.K. – Synthimia (6:13)
4. CrepusculaR – Interferencia Destructiva (7:07)
5. Deadjump – Raped Soul (Club Mix) (4:28 )
6. Die Braut – Dividieren Ist Erobern (5:25)
7. Einsend – Tras un Amanecer (Dance Mix) (7:08 )
8. Gusano – Sueños Imposibles (5:32)
9. Heroína – Devorador (Aditional Vocals b.o.r.n.) (3:23)
10. Lastrax – Underlights (4:03)
11. LA-X – Secuestro (Edit Version) (3:13)
12. Machine Revenge – Corrosion (6:29)
13. Say Just Words – Víctimas (6:40)
14. Sintetico Ministerio – Never Leave (4:24)
15. Sonic 3GR – Bouncy Hunter (Overload) (4:06)
16. Stacy 15 – The Ninth Gate (4:10)
17. Starla 4400 – High Divinorum (6:46)
18. Vision Anomaly – Contaminación Global (4:20)
19. Xerenade – Generación (5:51)

This is the official music video for Depeche Mode’s Fragile Tension.

via dmdotcom:

Depeche Mode – Fragile Tension

Director: Rob Chandler & Barney Steel

Part of the double-A-side “Fragile Tension” / “Hole To Feed”, this is the third single from the album “Sounds Of The Universe”.

Pre-order the 8 track CD single AND the 8 track double vinyl 12″ from Mute Bank now!

http://tinyurl.com/fragiletension-mutebank

For more details on the single, as well as the current Tour Of The Universe, stop by the official web site – http://www.depechemode.com/

Taken from Jean-Jacques Perrey’s album Moog Indigo, the French synth master tore up the early 70’s funk sound with this genius cut of Electro-Funk excellence. Yes, we all know it as the sample from “Just to Get A Rep” by Gangstarr but is it not in another league. The guys did well to only “borrow” parts. The full track is too large for anyone but Perrey to contain…

From Discogs
Jean-Jacques Perrey was born in France in 1929. He was studying medecine in Paris when he met George Jenny, inventor of the Ondioline. Quitting medical school, Perrey travelled through Europe demonstrating this keyboard ancestor of the modern synth.
After moving to New York he befriended Robert Moog and became one of the first Moog musicians, creating “far out electronic entertainment”. In 1965 Perrey met Gershon Kingsley, a former accomplice to John Cage. Together, using Ondioline and Perrey’s loops, they created two albums for Vanguard: The In Sound From Way Out (1966) and Kaleidoscopic Vibrations (1967). Perrey & Kingsley collaborated on sound design for radio and television advertising. Perrey returned to France, composing for television, scoring for ballet and continuing medical research into therapeutic sounds for insomniacs.

Monday’s vlog:

Stay turned for Wednesday’s vlog!  Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday we’ll hit you up with another!